Big Dreams: New Writer at the Banner

If I could tell young moms one thing it would be that when you finish raising your kids, you get to do something else. And that something can be something Big, with a capital B.
No one told me that there is an afterlife for stay-at-home moms.
When I began the project of raising my own children twenty-one years ago, it looked like such a long-term commitment that I never for a minute even considered what I would do once they no longer needed me.
‘Mom, you need to follow your dreams. Dream big,” my middle daughter recently told me. One of the beautiful things about raising kiddoes is at some point they start to fire your own advice back at you.
Okay, so here’s my big dream. I want to be a syndicated columnist.
I have always been a patriot about the fourth estate. You know, the balance to the three branches of our democratic government, that is, the free press.
I’m big on local papers reporting local news. I like knowing who the folks are, who the local heroes are, the civic leaders, the volunteers that really get the job done, the local kid who makes good. I also like knowing my representatives and telling them what I think when they’re home between sessions. I vote every election even when the race is uncontested. While I don’t particularly like either political party, I am thankful for both of them and for the third party candidates who hold them accountable.
So what if the syndicates never pick me up? I’ll settle for seeing my words in print in a small, local newspaper.
With that in mind, I dropped in to meet Lori Mellinger, editor of my favorite small town rag. Can you believe she gave me a shot at my dream?
I figure with Lori’s experience and editing, I might have a shot at the big leagues. Well, anyway, even if I miss, it is tremendous fun taking a small shot at the big target.
I come from a long line of really smart, well-educated people, who are not afraid to follow their dreams. Since I managed to go to kindergarten twice; I suspect I was a disappointment from the start.
My mother, who is truly a visionary, repeated her mantra throughout my childhood: “You are a genius, Cathy.” This is the one and only thing I’ve ever known my mother to lie about. Of course, since I was her first born child that could explain why mom was confused about the genius thing.
I grew up in Tyler, graduated from Robert E. Lee in 1977.
I went off to the University of Texas where I managed to flunk French, but graduate with a Bachelors in Journalism anyway.
Consequently, my other Big Dream is to be bilingual.
Three years ago, that daughter who encouraged me to write, talked me into taking Spanish with her.
My Spanish is functional rather than fluent, unless you are bilingual, in which case I have to admit I’m barely functional.
About 10 year’s ago, my husband and I moved to Flint from Tyler after a short detour to Louisiana.
There are those who will think that when we get really smart we’ll make it all the way to Bullard. They may be right, but for now we couldn’t be happier surrounded by the loving neighbors and friends on our street.
I will be fifty soon. I have two grown daughters who turned out all right in spite of their parents and a son who is an inspiration to his mom, the would-be writer. William, our ten-year-old and youngest, is the editor of his own little neighborhood newspaper and, I have to say, he makes it look easy.
So that’s the scoop on the new writer at the Banner and her big dreams. Now all I have to do is write a good enough article to get past Lori. Wish me luck!

Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, writes a weekly column for small town newspapers around East Texas. Those interested in reading her column in their paper can contact her at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.